Want a tip from an old Oregon Farmer/Rancher for testing the hot fence? Instead of grabbing the wire pluck a green, damp piece of grass and while holding the damp blade of grass between your thumb and forefinger touch the grass to the hot wire. It will conduct enough electricity to let you know if it is hot but not enough to give you that non-caffeine jolt. That tip came from my relatives who were spud farmers and cattle ranchers in the Klamath Falls and Madras areas of Oregon when I was not tall enough to get up in a saddle. We live in Hermiston now. I am a lot older and too old to sit in a saddle for very long. When I am in a field and see a strand of electric fence I always test the wire this way and the jolt becomes a tickle. I do some volunteering for Pendleton Round Up. There are a lot of portable hot fences used for horses. You never know when one is hot or turned off. I have taught a lot of younger horseback riders and teamsters this trick. Try it and let me know how that works for you.
Me too. I'm almost 62 and it takes me 5 minutes sitting on the side of my bed to be able to stand. Too many spine surgeries....well really one is too many. I had one times 6 extras. Each time they swore up and down, yeah this will take care of that pain. Sure did, made it worse. I would've loved to have gone to Alaska to live. But even now, a cruise isn't safe. Well it's going to stay on my bucket list...👍
You guys are doing so well. I think I speak for all of your viewers that we all want you guys to succeed!!!! And are happy when you do, even through the temporary setbacks, all part of the learning curve.
I love that you guys are so honest and real. I have been living off grid in Australia now for 10 years and yes, some days, I just shouldn't get out of bed. Doesn't matter what I do, it just goes pear shaped. Most days are 'diamonds' but other days are just 'big rocks '. I love that you show this very real side of this lifestyle as people considering this way of life need to go into it with their eyes wide open. That being said, I wouldn't live in a city for quids.
I wish i could live like this everything you need to survive is through honest hard working couple . You eat fresh fish and vegetables that you guys cultivate .
Watching you both has pushed me to have a simple life. Im hoping in 6 months I will have found a place, widower,,im also hopeful that I will have found a mate that will want the same.. Thank you both.
The following things are preventing the Volume of water you need to water your garden. Since Pressure is limited you need more Flow(pipe/valve size) to get the same amount of volume without running a pump(Pressure). 1: All valves need to be at least 3/4" id high flow ball valves including the wand mixer valve. Cheap PVC valves work also. (The valves you have in the video look like 1/2" id, upgrading to 3/4" id increases the area of flow by 225%) 2: 3/4" id hose for garden. 3: Put the tank on the top of the shipping Container roof edge or corner to get more pressure. 4: Shutoff valve at ground level with piping of greater Diameter to increase flow pressure and able to upgrade sizing in future. Ive watered my garden on a slope for the last 3 years this way. 500 gallon tank on a trailer with a range 5ft to 50ft of water level difference(tank to gardens/trees) with no problems. The pressure isn't needed when higher volume flowing hoses and valves are used.
Ive been addicted to watching your guys videos lately and I just want to say that I admire you guys SO MUCH. To be able to have the motivation and ability to do what you two do on a daily basis is not only impressive, but admirable. I wish the both of you the best and I will continue to tune in and see whats next in your adventure!
When testing any electrical line with your bare hands do not use the palm side of your hand. If there is enough current it can cause your hand to spams shut which makes you grip the line. Alway use the back side of your hand.
You guys are owesome, the way you look after everything from the dear baby chicks to that really cool green house, your seriously good hearted people l love all the work you put in, you have a lovely place. Thank you for sharing.
Build a stand 10 to 12 feet above ground to set your tank on this will give you more gravity feed pressure , Plus it will give you a place to store whatever you want underneath . Maybe a outdoor shower🚿🧼 underneath ...
Suggestion... Cover your row beds with black plastic when you put them to bed, and add the hoops to increase the temperature. Your beds will brake down better.
Regarding your hoop house for the corn as well as the water tank problems. The plans were good. In the Army we had a saying that “no plan survives first contact with the enemy”. After contact you have to adjust your original plan because all your assumptions, planning factors etc change as a result of that initial action. Your ability to adapt and continue to move forward on your projects is admirable.
Agricultural drip line irrigation is very low psi. Also called drip tape, you install and remove a mini irrigation system every year. You’d turn on the line at the tank and check your flow and everything would get watered...
Years ago I bought a 12v water pump that is used on asphalt rollers to wet the large steel wheels. They are readily available. I used it to pump water from my boat pontoons and it worked great. Fast forward 25 years, I gave it to my brother that has a landscaping business and he uses it to water trees and shrubs that he maintains from a tank similar to yours. It works absolutely great and has very good pressure. He just pulls the tank and trailer around with his four wheeler and runs the pump off the 4 wheeler battery. Never had an issue.
Oh and....he uses a simple garden hose nozzle. When the pump is running it is fine not pumping as long as water is in the impeller. And it is about 1/2 the size of a car starter, so it would relieve you from having to use the generator. Use the Polaris battery with it running and it should be fine.
Hang some blank cd’s with fishing wire in the trees. It will deter hawks especially when the sun hits it. I have done this for years and haven’t lost a chicken since and it cheap. Good luck and great videos!
You guys make me laugh a pleasure to follow along :) I think the idea about the drip hose where the pressure hardly matters will is a good option take care ..
1. Carve wooden plugs or use some other plug to connect the shorter PVC pipes back together. 2. Ground Emitter Hose works fantastic as a low pressure way to water gardens with much less hassle while giving more free time to do something else. 3.. NICE JOB YOU TWO ARE DOING!
We have had a busy summer and haven't kept up with watching any videos, so I'm binge-watching your channel to catch up. I love seeing the hens and chicks interacting the way nature intended. People don't realize what we take away from these lovely, maternal girls when they are in battery cages. The chicks that can be with their mother(s) learn how to be healthy chickens (dust baths!), how to find wild vegetation that is best to eat, and how to avoid predators. A flock of outdoor chickens that raises the next flock passes down local chicken wisdom. I've seen a protective rooster take on a hawk and win while the ladies herd the babies into the bushes. But bird netting sure doesn't hurt!
Eric, what you might do is move that tank to the middle of the garden in the back and run a drip irrigation system from the tank. It regulates the amount of water you use and you can control the length of time used. Andy Bassich uses it on Life Below Zero and his garden and high tunnel are huge. Just an idea.
Hi guys hope your doing well. You need to set up an irrigation system in the greenhouse so you won’t have to manually water the plants. You need to run an overhead hose with holes in it. Eric is a smart guy so I know he’ll figure it out.
If you get the tank higher you will have more pressure. We have a water catchment system for our garden. The higher the tank the more pressure you have. Also I would recommend blanking the tanks black to prevent mildew growing inside the tank
Raising the tank further would yield small gains in hose pressure over that length of hose unfortunately - you guys are solar - why don’t you just order a 12vdc marine wash-down pump? They are designed exactly for your mission - it would give you great pressure at the end of a long hose run, and they come with their own pressure switch to turn the pump on/off whenever you open the tap.... Yahtzee!
Hey guys, for your PVC pipes over your cornrow, can you get a connector to put between 2 of the pipes, then curve them from one rebar to the other. That way you don't have to find another use for those pipes and it may be cheaper to connect 2, till you run out and then you could buy longer ones. Even putting a branch between 2 PVC pipes and using a screw on the end of each pipe into the branch. I was watching and thought it might work. Thanks for the videos
A 12 volt RV pump off the solar would suit this job well. They turn off and on with the flow. Its what I use in our off-grid cabin. We use it for showers as well through a instant hot water much like what you have. Your fence system would likely run it. I run our entire cabin off 4 of the same panels and two batteries year-round. Use the back of your hand to test an electric fence so your hand doesn't accidentally close on it.
If you guys follow Doug and Stacy on TH-cam they bought a special hose nozzle for their off grid water system to water their garden. I think the video was from last summer. But something about the nozzle got them better pressure.
My folks controlled their cows with a single strand of electric fencing a couple inches over knee high. When you went to step over it it was wise to check the positions of any companions else they were sure to give the wire a kick right when you were mid-straddle.
thanks for sharing it all...the good, the not so good, and the I've-got-to-think-about-this-again stuff. I find that that is really what all life is about. I've been at this for over 50 years and I'm still learning and seeking out answers. I live in Minnesota and we've had 3 nights of 28 degrees in a row and first night I lost 3 special tomatoes that were next to the sides of the greenhouse....I pulled in all the plants about 12" the second night and so far they've survived. Greenhouse is over 80 (but I do ventilate at that point) during the day. Our chickens here do fine too at 30 below. No extra heating. Thanks for all you show us.
Regardless of the little set backs. You all apply the awesome sauce and make it all work. Maybe more height of the storage unit might provide a little more pressure 😉 💯 thanks so much for sharing.
Just so inspirational, you two wonderful soul's just never give up. Those chicks and their mum's are so happy and safe. Next time Aerial its Eric's turn to test that electric fencing. Brilliant video as Always. Hug's from Australia xx 🐥🐣🐤🐔🐓🌽🐨🦘
You could also try collecting rain water off the back of the shed, near the garden. Free and it's much warmer in the summmer.You would be surprised how much water can be collected in a small area with eavestrough. I collected 550L in one storm this weekend off the greenhouse. Really handy! GL!!!
If you make the coupling coming from the tank smaller leading to the hose, it will create more pressure leaving the tank by decreasing the amount of flow through
I know your "failures" musr be frustrating!! However you showing the bumps in the road only makes you guys more real honest and relatable. I'm 45 and trying my first garden ever, no clue what I'm doing, but figured I'd start somewhere! Keep going!😉
Could you use longer rebar to make the low tunnel higher off the ground and then put the hoop on the rebar? Weird as it sounds it is great that you are showing the "failures" and the successes! You are helping people! Thanks!
My seeds are started in the garage on heat mats in Solo cups. The cups are placed in garden flats. The "light" came on for me this year the first time I watered the seeds with cold tap water. It is hard enough for heat mats to warm up 18oz cups, let alone cold water introduced into the mix. So the "light" was that I needed to water with very warm water to help the mats and the seedlings ... duh! Sometimes the solution is hiding in plain sight. Take care you two.
Sorry things didn't go well. I love your channel tho. You two are such hard workers. We live where it stays cold for longer too so I love all the ways you get around that with your gardens.
You should try raising the water tank! The water pressure comes from the difference in height between the top of the water line in the tank and the end of the hose. So when you tested it because you were holding it nearly level with the tank you would have super low pressure. Every foot you raise it should give you a little less than half a psi of additional pressure
It would be a very cool project. A couple of long posts, a little cross bracing and stand back the first time you fill it. Could be cheap too if they can harvest their own posts
Hi guys, A couple of observations/pieces of advice: 1. Please make sure that you have a charge controller between your solar panel and your electric fence battery otherwise you will destroy your battery by overcharging. 2. You can increase the height of your water tank to get more water pressure. Approximately 10 feet of height will give you about 5psi of pressure as measured from the top of the water level to the height of your hose end. 8-10psi is fine for filling water cans and running drip irrigation. 40psi is usually the minimum for residential water pressure. 3. Cover the tank with black plastic or at least paint it black to help increase solar heat gain and prevent (or at least slow down) algea growth. 4. Sump pumps are high volume low pressure pumps designed to move a lot of water from one place to another that is at only a slightly higher elevation. Pressure pumps are designed to move less water but at much higher pressure. A pressure pump is what you need for your application. Unfortunately they cost a lot more than a centrifugal pump (sump pump). There are 12vdc washdown pressure pumps for boats that vary their speed based on demand and shut off automatically (so no need for a pressure tank or accumulator). They come in a variety of max pressures and volumes from 35psi up to around 80psi and cost between $80-$200. I have one on my boat that puts out more water at higher pressure than my suburban house plumbing can. Hope this helps a little. Take care and all the best from California 💛
you got everything I was going to add. as you point out going up higher will not do much ...I wouldnt use those pallets :) and dont put it on the container. having said all that for all the work. why not just add a bigger tank to the well pump, get a decent sized accumulator and hook up a pressure switch to the well pump and well then its over. for warm up you could add a solar water heater ...
That small solar panel is only going to do a trickle charge and won't overcharge the car battery, so charge controller not required. I've used on on my car for when it is parked for long periods, ad it works just fine.
It was interesting to watch you build the water storage. Some thing that I learned is it takes a column of water 30 feet tall to generate a pressure of 15 psi. That is why water towers for towns are around 90 to 120 feet tall to generate 45 to 60 psi. At the height of 3 feet you would only generate about 1.5 psi. Either increase the height or run the tank into a pump as suggested below to increase the pressure for a useable flow.
Here's a idea get a large truck or tractor inner tube put it into the top of your container. When the tank is almost empty inflate the tube to 40psi and cap it. Put your lid on and fill the tank with you well hose on the bottom of your tank. This would act like a large bladder tank. Try it just the cost of a tube. A long as the tube holds the air you'll have the water pressure the same as the bladder pressure. Enjoy.
People here in Spain will paint the tank a darker color depending on how cold the well water is. Also keeps alge from turning tank green from no direct sunlight and temp from sun heating tank. I'm setting up a homestead with my sons next 2 years when we can finally make return back home on 🇺🇸 soil..Keep the great videos coming. Some good ideas I'm sure many are benefiting from. 👏💪
you can put a smaller water tank (large enough to hold sufficient water for daily watering needs) with a large tap next to the garden or high tunnel and connect this new tank to the tank which you installed today with a float valve to shut off automatically once filled. then you can fill your watering can as many times as you want without much of walking & carrying.
We use a small electric tire pump and pressurize the tank. I put a valve stem on the lid or another part of the tank and attach a 12 volt car tire inflator that was an automatic pressure setting. It will run a hose with drip or a spray nozzle ( water breaker).
Yeah! You can stack those 5 gallon pails full of water in the greenhouse and let them hold heat all night, too. Your plants will zoom with night heat and heated water. I hope you're capturing spring snow melt water. That's the very best! Maybe you can build a small greenhouse around the water tank? A good old school hand/foot crank bicycle air pump can Jack up the PSIs on that tank, too! Tip of the day: Never Ever Pee on an Electric Fence!! I once, and only once, had the most enlightening of hard experiences when I found out a fence was an electric fence that way. Both my feet came off the ground! The way I hollered! People came running!
Enjoy your story, I also lived in Oregon for about 12 years on 3 acres just outside of Oregon City, raised animals and had a ball. On one of your videos you were dealing with a water tank for the garden, in a large part of the world your water supply and water pressure comes from a tank on top of the roof. Raising the tank height will increase your water pressure. 3/4” pvc supply line to it and you might be satisfied with the results.
If you can find so old disc blades to put on top of the post it will help the netting from tearing. Used when I raised pheasants. Had netting to keep the birds on. One of or major predators for the pheasants, chickens and turkeys were owls.
Shure-flo RV pump, 12vdc. Plumbed onto the outlet of the tank and run off of a solar setup or the truck battery, you'll get plenty of pressure down 100' of hose to water your beds. There is a pressure switch built in too. Cheers!
We use a sump pump for our water catch. We have a 2,500 gallon tank and five IBC totes. We use a 1.6hp pump and we get incredible pressure and we can use soaker hoses this year. Last year we gravy watered the garden and it took well over an hour.
I know a guy that went rabbit hunting with his brother. His brother was watering a tree and getting shocked. His brother started groaning in pain and couldn't figure it out why he was getting shocked. Finally they found out the tree was wired into the fence. Duh! 😱🤪🙈 Vaughn
LD Texas you really do Not want to do the third one, I know, I did so accidentally hitting a hot wire that was down. And yes it hurts as much as you’d think it would!
Very useful information about the water pressure. I use water troughs to catch the water that comes off my roof. Will help in the decisions ahead. much appreciated.
Place the water tank on top of the shipping container. You may need to build a bracing based on the strong points in the corners and edges of the container. That should provide enough head for pressure.
You guys really worked hard! Everything is a learning process... the things that you are learning will help you figure out more stuff in the future! So just look at all you have accomplished in the short time you have been there... thank you for letting us see the effort you exerted in your learning process! Also, I really enjoyed the longer video... really awesome!
Great advise, I have them to my rain barrels from an old out building. Thing is, don't know where they would put them; but the high tunnel is close and gutter is cheap.
@@joeyhardin1288 Plumb the gutter into a pipe in the ground in a U fashion, outlet below the entrance and it will flow through the pipe over to the tank.
We plumbed our gutters to a rain barrel system that feeds weep hoses in the garden (Missouri). We turn the weep hoses on for a night on an as-needed basis. Just have to remember to clear the hoses occasionally and keep sediment out of the rain barrels. At the end of the main growing season you have to take up the hoses and flush them for storage to avoid the effects of water freezing. Then clear the rain barrels of any sediment and turn them upside down to avoid that strange phenomenon of water freezing. It probably helps that our garden is very close to the house. We tried burying clay pots to disperse water, and that works for companion planting mounds. For rows the weep hoses work best.
I agree with many others who suggested drip irrigation in the garden! It is used a lot in desert environments and really saves water. Plus once it’s set up you just turn it on and go. Waters just the roots and very little runoff or evaporation
Thank you for sharing❤️💗 Good luck on the bird netting. Corn, YAY.... And a holding tank for water👍 SENDING A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT OF LOVE TO SURROUND THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYONE 🤗❣️❣️🤗💞
I think my favorite things about you two is how even when things don't go as planned you just keep at it and tweak what you are doing until it does work. You never give up. Plus the fact that you still share those plans or tasks gone wrong with us. You do the trial and error for us and I am very thankful. ;) The chicken run looks amazing. Tons of cover,but also tons of shade for the chickens to keep cool this summer. I look forward to seeing how the corn does for you. I am hoping to be able to grow it when we get moved to Alaska.
Coil up a couple hundred feet of black pipe in the sun. Connect well pump to that and your garden hose on the other end. The sun will heat the black pipe, and your water :)
Hello again from Fairbanks! We use that same kind of tank for our water catchment system and garden watering. We use a Superior Pump 1/4HP pump and it runs our sprayers & irrigation systems quite well. (It's not auto pressure, but handles back pressure without much issue and we just turn it off when we are done watering.) One of the other problems you'll face is algae growing in the tank. Fine for veggies, but you'll want to filter your pump output to prevent sprayers from getting plugged. Plus, maybe questionable for food, your call. We cover our tank in a couple of tarps and it's still not good enough. Wish I had one of the black tanks they sell at HD, that'll be one of our eventual upgrades. Garden is looking good, we are excited to get started here too!
Sorry about the water pressure but i know you will find a solution...your plants are looking awesome...all the best, stay safe and thanks for sharing your great videos.
Yeah you pretty much have to get the tank up about roof height or a little higher. 4 posts and a platform? posts angled slightly in kind of tower style? Everything looks good, and drier. 🙂👍
What I use for a pressure tank is an old 80 gallon water heater. It doesn't have a bladder. I have added a car metal tire shraeder valve to the top of the tank. I put about 15 gallons of water in. Then using the shraeder, I add about 40 pounds of air pressure. Then I turn the water back on, and let it finish filling the tank. If you do this, you should mostly empty the tank every spring and fall, and make sure the air pressure is correct with that shraeder valve. What happens is that without a bladder, the water slowly makes it's way into the water, and it loses pressure. They did it this way for over a century.
12v whale water pump from an RV are pressure sensitive, so when you close the tap on your hose it switches the pump off. They are pretty cheap and you have 12v power for your electric fence etc.
Like many of the suggestions, I came here to mention raising the tank to get your pressure. This is what I did up at our off-grid cabin in Wyoming, we run the generator to power the pump to fill the tank that we have lifted off 12 feet up on a set of pallet racking I got for cheap off craigs list. We also painted our tank black to aide in heating the water.
Best lain plans of mice and men. I hope you get all the water you need for the garden. I am glad you are not standing in 2feet of snow. Chickens look great
See folks talking drip emitters,..also in conjunction with that you might try adding a static head pressure to your tank via your compressor. Air pressure in the tank will raise your water pressure output and the emitters will conserve water usage.
Raise the tank, you get .50 psi of pressure for every foot bring it up, and a larger diameter hose would help for more volume of water coming out, also loosen the cap on the tank for air flow
Use a 12 volt bilge pump from a boat to pressure and move our water. We have a 275 gallon tank and have no problem with flow or pressure. Sprinkler, hose nozzles and all work fantastic. A small solar panel charges our battery back up and the system works flawless 3 yrs and still going. Cost for pump is about $35.00. The battery and solar about $100.00. It's more than paid for itself 100 times over. I'm sure this is a good solution to your problem. Good luck and stay safe.
Forget the pallet people -- I've spent 12 years with a Simple 12 volt - two battery solar system -- run a 3/4 in line to a spot that is half way between the area's you water = set the 12 v pump there - reduce to 1/2 in & 1/2 in garden hose -- BINGO
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
Want a tip from an old Oregon Farmer/Rancher for testing the hot fence? Instead of grabbing the wire pluck a green, damp piece of grass and while holding the damp blade of grass between your thumb and forefinger touch the grass to the hot wire. It will conduct enough electricity to let you know if it is hot but not enough to give you that non-caffeine jolt. That tip came from my relatives who were spud farmers and cattle ranchers in the Klamath Falls and Madras areas of Oregon when I was not tall enough to get up in a saddle. We live in Hermiston now. I am a lot older and too old to sit in a saddle for very long. When I am in a field and see a strand of electric fence I always test the wire this way and the jolt becomes a tickle. I do some volunteering for Pendleton Round Up. There are a lot of portable hot fences used for horses. You never know when one is hot or turned off. I have taught a lot of younger horseback riders and teamsters this trick. Try it and let me know how that works for you.
That is real life. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you planned. But that’s how we learn.
You guys are making nice videos , keep them coming.
Nice homestead. That's the kind of lifestyle I would want were I much younger.
Me too. I'm almost 62 and it takes me 5 minutes sitting on the side of my bed to be able to stand. Too many spine surgeries....well really one is too many. I had one times 6 extras. Each time they swore up and down, yeah this will take care of that pain. Sure did, made it worse. I would've loved to have gone to Alaska to live. But even now, a cruise isn't safe. Well it's going to stay on my bucket list...👍
You guys are doing so well. I think I speak for all of your viewers that we all want you guys to succeed!!!! And are happy when you do, even through the temporary setbacks, all part of the learning curve.
I love that you guys are so honest and real. I have been living off grid in Australia now for 10 years and yes, some days, I just shouldn't get out of bed. Doesn't matter what I do, it just goes pear shaped. Most days are 'diamonds' but other days are just 'big rocks '. I love that you show this very real side of this lifestyle as people considering this way of life need to go into it with their eyes wide open. That being said, I wouldn't live in a city for quids.
I wish i could live like this everything you need to survive is through honest hard working couple . You eat fresh fish and vegetables that you guys cultivate .
Watching you both has pushed me to have a simple life. Im hoping in 6 months I will have found a place, widower,,im also hopeful that I will have found a mate that will want the same.. Thank you both.
Wow, know nothing about what you are showing in this video but as you explain little by little it makes sense…as always, I learn from you. Thanks.
The following things are preventing the Volume of water you need to water your garden. Since Pressure is limited you need more Flow(pipe/valve size) to get the same amount of volume without running a pump(Pressure).
1: All valves need to be at least 3/4" id high flow ball valves including the wand mixer valve. Cheap PVC valves work also.
(The valves you have in the video look like 1/2" id, upgrading to 3/4" id increases the area of flow by 225%)
2: 3/4" id hose for garden.
3: Put the tank on the top of the shipping Container roof edge or corner to get more pressure.
4: Shutoff valve at ground level with piping of greater Diameter to increase flow pressure and able to upgrade sizing in future.
Ive watered my garden on a slope for the last 3 years this way. 500 gallon tank on a trailer with a range 5ft to 50ft of water level difference(tank to gardens/trees) with no problems. The pressure isn't needed when higher volume flowing hoses and valves are used.
Look at that smile on Bo come on what a love a dove
Ive been addicted to watching your guys videos lately and I just want to say that I admire you guys SO MUCH. To be able to have the motivation and ability to do what you two do on a daily basis is not only impressive, but admirable. I wish the both of you the best and I will continue to tune in and see whats next in your adventure!
Thanks again, guys. Even when you have setbacks the video is still very entertaining.
Life is all about trial and error. Keep trying and you'll find what works for you 🥰
When testing any electrical line with your bare hands do not use the palm side of your hand. If there is enough current it can cause your hand to spams shut which makes you grip the line. Alway use the back side of your hand.
Hey guys, you have your good days and not so good days but always worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing!
You guys are owesome, the way you look after everything from the dear baby chicks to that really cool green house, your seriously good hearted people l love all the work you put in, you have a lovely place. Thank you for sharing.
You guys handle adversity very well!!!
Build a stand 10 to 12 feet above ground to set your tank on this will give you more gravity feed pressure , Plus it will give you a place to store whatever you want underneath . Maybe a outdoor shower🚿🧼 underneath ...
Try weep hoses don't need all the higher pressure
So glad you've got netting now
You are honest and real guys. I love both of you 😍😍😍
Suggestion...
Cover your row beds with black plastic when you put them to bed, and add the hoops to increase the temperature. Your beds will brake down better.
Y'all are doing great the best laid plans of men and mice setbacks produced progress
Regarding your hoop house for the corn as well as the water tank problems. The plans were good. In the Army we had a saying that “no plan survives first contact with the enemy”. After contact you have to adjust your original plan because all your assumptions, planning factors etc change as a result of that initial action. Your ability to adapt and continue to move forward on your projects is admirable.
Nice work 👍👍
Measure twice cut once is a lesson best learned first hand. It happens to the best of us .🤔😎🐣🐔🐥
Agricultural drip line irrigation is very low psi. Also called drip tape, you install and remove a mini irrigation system every year. You’d turn on the line at the tank and check your flow and everything would get watered...
Perhaps the pipe could be part of the system?
A black tarp over the tank will keep it from getting algae on the inside.✌
Years ago I bought a 12v water pump that is used on asphalt rollers to wet the large steel wheels. They are readily available. I used it to pump water from my boat pontoons and it worked great. Fast forward 25 years, I gave it to my brother that has a landscaping business and he uses it to water trees and shrubs that he maintains from a tank similar to yours. It works absolutely great and has very good pressure. He just pulls the tank and trailer around with his four wheeler and runs the pump off the 4 wheeler battery. Never had an issue.
Oh and....he uses a simple garden hose nozzle. When the pump is running it is fine not pumping as long as water is in the impeller. And it is about 1/2 the size of a car starter, so it would relieve you from having to use the generator. Use the Polaris battery with it running and it should be fine.
Hang some blank cd’s with fishing wire in the trees. It will deter hawks especially when the sun hits it. I have done this for years and haven’t lost a chicken since and it cheap. Good luck and great videos!
You guys make me laugh a pleasure to follow along :) I think the idea about the drip hose where the pressure hardly matters will is a good option take care ..
1. Carve wooden plugs or use some other plug to connect the shorter PVC pipes back together. 2. Ground Emitter Hose works fantastic as a low pressure way to water gardens with much less hassle while giving more free time to do something else. 3.. NICE JOB YOU TWO ARE DOING!
We have had a busy summer and haven't kept up with watching any videos, so I'm binge-watching your channel to catch up. I love seeing the hens and chicks interacting the way nature intended. People don't realize what we take away from these lovely, maternal girls when they are in battery cages. The chicks that can be with their mother(s) learn how to be healthy chickens (dust baths!), how to find wild vegetation that is best to eat, and how to avoid predators. A flock of outdoor chickens that raises the next flock passes down local chicken wisdom. I've seen a protective rooster take on a hawk and win while the ladies herd the babies into the bushes. But bird netting sure doesn't hurt!
Eric, what you might do is move that tank to the middle of the garden in the back and run a drip irrigation system from the tank. It regulates the amount of water you use and you can control the length of time used. Andy Bassich uses it on Life Below Zero and his garden and high tunnel are huge. Just an idea.
My wife and I installed 50x50 of that netting, takes a lot of patience for sure
Hi guys hope your doing well. You need to set up an irrigation system in the greenhouse so you won’t have to manually water the plants. You need to run an overhead hose with holes in it. Eric is a smart guy so I know he’ll figure it out.
You win some, you lose some. At least your willing to try new things. It is all a learning process. I am always impressed either way.
If you get the tank higher you will have more pressure. We have a water catchment system for our garden. The higher the tank the more pressure you have. Also I would recommend blanking the tanks black to prevent mildew growing inside the tank
Raising the tank further would yield small gains in hose pressure over that length of hose unfortunately - you guys are solar - why don’t you just order a 12vdc marine wash-down pump? They are designed exactly for your mission - it would give you great pressure at the end of a long hose run, and they come with their own pressure switch to turn the pump on/off whenever you open the tap.... Yahtzee!
I agree a Shurflo Pump from Amazon 45psi is about $75. Setup a big battery and a solar panel = problem solved
Just put 6 more pallets under it😂
My first thought is a repeat of the other two.
Leaving an air vent on the top would help.
Maybe paint the tank black as well? Decrease algae and warm it a little faster?
Hey guys, for your PVC pipes over your cornrow, can you get a connector to put between 2 of the pipes, then curve them from one rebar to the other. That way you don't have to find another use for those pipes and it may be cheaper to connect 2, till you run out and then you could buy longer ones. Even putting a branch between 2 PVC pipes and using a screw on the end of each pipe into the branch. I was watching and thought it might work. Thanks for the videos
A 12 volt RV pump off the solar would suit this job well. They turn off and on with the flow. Its what I use in our off-grid cabin. We use it for showers as well through a instant hot water much like what you have. Your fence system would likely run it. I run our entire cabin off 4 of the same panels and two batteries year-round. Use the back of your hand to test an electric fence so your hand doesn't accidentally close on it.
If you guys follow Doug and Stacy on TH-cam they bought a special hose nozzle for their off grid water system to water their garden. I think the video was from last summer. But something about the nozzle got them better pressure.
35 amazing chicks 👍
As a kid us grandkids used to play with the electric fence at our grandparents house.
My folks controlled their cows with a single strand of electric fencing a couple inches over knee high. When you went to step over it it was wise to check the positions of any companions else they were sure to give the wire a kick right when you were mid-straddle.
thanks for sharing it all...the good, the not so good, and the I've-got-to-think-about-this-again stuff. I find that that is really what all life is about. I've been at this for over 50 years and I'm still learning and seeking out answers. I live in Minnesota and we've had 3 nights of 28 degrees in a row and first night I lost 3 special tomatoes that were next to the sides of the greenhouse....I pulled in all the plants about 12" the second night and so far they've survived. Greenhouse is over 80 (but I do ventilate at that point) during the day. Our chickens here do fine too at 30 below. No extra heating. Thanks for all you show us.
Regardless of the little set backs. You all apply the awesome sauce and make it all work. Maybe more height of the storage unit might provide a little more pressure 😉 💯 thanks so much for sharing.
Just so inspirational, you two wonderful soul's just never give up. Those chicks and their mum's are so happy and safe. Next time Aerial its Eric's turn to test that electric fencing. Brilliant video as Always. Hug's from Australia xx 🐥🐣🐤🐔🐓🌽🐨🦘
You could also try collecting rain water off the back of the shed, near the garden. Free and it's much warmer in the summmer.You would be surprised how much water can be collected in a small area with eavestrough. I collected 550L in one storm this weekend off the greenhouse. Really handy! GL!!!
If you make the coupling coming from the tank smaller leading to the hose, it will create more pressure leaving the tank by decreasing the amount of flow through
I know your "failures" musr be frustrating!! However you showing the bumps in the road only makes you guys more real honest and relatable. I'm 45 and trying my first garden ever, no clue what I'm doing, but figured I'd start somewhere! Keep going!😉
Could you use longer rebar to make the low tunnel higher off the ground and then put the hoop on the rebar? Weird as it sounds it is great that you are showing the "failures" and the successes! You are helping people! Thanks!
My seeds are started in the garage on heat mats in Solo cups. The cups are placed in garden flats. The "light" came on for me this year the first time I watered the seeds with cold tap water. It is hard enough for heat mats to warm up 18oz cups, let alone cold water introduced into the mix. So the "light" was that I needed to water with very warm water to help the mats and the seedlings ... duh! Sometimes the solution is hiding in plain sight. Take care you two.
Sorry things didn't go well. I love your channel tho. You two are such hard workers. We live where it stays cold for longer too so I love all the ways you get around that with your gardens.
You should try raising the water tank! The water pressure comes from the difference in height between the top of the water line in the tank and the end of the hose. So when you tested it because you were holding it nearly level with the tank you would have super low pressure. Every foot you raise it should give you a little less than half a psi of additional pressure
Yay! Water tower project!
Yes! was going to say this too. I water my gardens from above ground water tanks the hose just can't be held too high, works okay.
Yes. Put the tank on top of the shipping container, with a permanent filling devise.
It would be a very cool project. A couple of long posts, a little cross bracing and stand back the first time you fill it. Could be cheap too if they can harvest their own posts
Oh and strap the tank down. Dont want it blowing away when its empty
You could always use an RV water pump for your water tank. That would give you plenty of pressure and flow to water with.
Hi guys,
A couple of observations/pieces of advice:
1. Please make sure that you have a charge controller between your solar panel and your electric fence battery otherwise you will destroy your battery by overcharging.
2. You can increase the height of your water tank to get more water pressure. Approximately 10 feet of height will give you about 5psi of pressure as measured from the top of the water level to the height of your hose end. 8-10psi is fine for filling water cans and running drip irrigation. 40psi is usually the minimum for residential water pressure.
3. Cover the tank with black plastic or at least paint it black to help increase solar heat gain and prevent (or at least slow down) algea growth.
4. Sump pumps are high volume low pressure pumps designed to move a lot of water from one place to another that is at only a slightly higher elevation. Pressure pumps are designed to move less water but at much higher pressure. A pressure pump is what you need for your application. Unfortunately they cost a lot more than a centrifugal pump (sump pump). There are 12vdc washdown pressure pumps for boats that vary their speed based on demand and shut off automatically (so no need for a pressure tank or accumulator). They come in a variety of max pressures and volumes from 35psi up to around 80psi and cost between $80-$200. I have one on my boat that puts out more water at higher pressure than my suburban house plumbing can.
Hope this helps a little. Take care and all the best from California 💛
you got everything I was going to add. as you point out going up higher will not do much ...I wouldnt use those pallets :) and dont put it on the container.
having said all that for all the work. why not just add a bigger tank to the well pump, get a decent sized accumulator and hook up a pressure switch to the well pump and well then its over. for warm up you could add a solar water heater ...
That small solar panel is only going to do a trickle charge and won't overcharge the car battery, so charge controller not required. I've used on on my car for when it is parked for long periods, ad it works just fine.
So nice to see! Thank you for sharing. Lovely and hard working couple. God bless. Greatings from Holland
Love watching your videos. So much a person can be independent about while living a good life.
It was interesting to watch you build the water storage. Some thing that I learned is it takes a column of water 30 feet tall to generate a pressure of 15 psi. That is why water towers for towns are around 90 to 120 feet tall to generate 45 to 60 psi. At the height of 3 feet you would only generate about 1.5 psi. Either increase the height or run the tank into a pump as suggested below to increase the pressure for a useable flow.
Here's a idea get a large truck or tractor inner tube put it into the top of your container. When the tank is almost empty inflate the tube to 40psi and cap it. Put your lid on and fill the tank with you well hose on the bottom of your tank. This would act like a large bladder tank. Try it just the cost of a tube. A long as the tube holds the air you'll have the water pressure the same as the bladder pressure. Enjoy.
ariel is so possitive! i love it
People here in Spain will paint the tank a darker color depending on how cold the well water is. Also keeps alge from turning tank green from no direct sunlight and temp from sun heating tank. I'm setting up a homestead with my sons next 2 years when we can finally make return back home on 🇺🇸 soil..Keep the great videos coming. Some good ideas I'm sure many are benefiting from. 👏💪
Truck bed liner
you can put a smaller water tank (large enough to hold sufficient water for daily watering needs) with a large tap next to the garden or high tunnel and connect this new tank to the tank which you installed today with a float valve to shut off automatically once filled. then you can fill your watering can as many times as you want without much of walking & carrying.
You have to empty the tank a bit and leave it open on the top. Will work perfect. We have home same one. If you leave it open it will work for sure.
It's nice to see how well you care for your chickens. Looking forward to seeing the garden. Enjoy.
I just set up a 12 volt pump to water. Works good and you can run it on solar. The place is looking good guys.
We use a small electric tire pump and pressurize the tank. I put a valve stem on the lid or another part of the tank and attach a 12 volt car tire inflator that was an automatic pressure setting. It will run a hose with drip or a spray nozzle ( water breaker).
Yeah! You can stack those 5 gallon pails full of water in the greenhouse and let them hold heat all night, too. Your plants will zoom with night heat and heated water. I hope you're capturing spring snow melt water. That's the very best!
Maybe you can build a small greenhouse around the water tank? A good old school hand/foot crank bicycle air pump can Jack up the PSIs on that tank, too!
Tip of the day: Never Ever Pee on an Electric Fence!! I once, and only once, had the most enlightening of hard experiences when I found out a fence was an electric fence that way. Both my feet came off the ground! The way I hollered! People came running!
Enjoy your story, I also lived in Oregon for about 12 years on 3 acres just outside of Oregon City, raised animals and had a ball. On one of your videos you were dealing with a water tank for the garden, in a large part of the world your water supply and water pressure comes from a tank on top of the roof. Raising the tank height will increase your water pressure. 3/4” pvc supply line to it and you might be satisfied with the results.
If you can find so old disc blades to put on top of the post it will help the netting from tearing. Used when I raised pheasants. Had netting to keep the birds on. One of or major predators for the pheasants, chickens and turkeys were owls.
Shure-flo RV pump, 12vdc. Plumbed onto the outlet of the tank and run off of a solar setup or the truck battery, you'll get plenty of pressure down 100' of hose to water your beds. There is a pressure switch built in too. Cheers!
We use a sump pump for our water catch. We have a 2,500 gallon tank and five IBC totes. We use a 1.6hp pump and we get incredible pressure and we can use soaker hoses this year. Last year we gravy watered the garden and it took well over an hour.
Don't know if was said yet but an old saying is " some learn by reading, some learn by doing and some learn by peeing on the electric fence".
I know a guy that went rabbit hunting with his brother. His brother was watering a tree and getting shocked. His brother started groaning in pain and couldn't figure it out why he was getting shocked. Finally they found out the tree was wired into the fence. Duh! 😱🤪🙈 Vaughn
LD Texas you really do Not want to do the third one, I know, I did so accidentally hitting a hot wire that was down.
And yes it hurts as much as you’d think it would!
😂😂😂
Very useful information about the water pressure. I use water troughs to catch the water that comes off my roof. Will help in the decisions ahead. much appreciated.
Enjoy watching your video
Place the water tank on top of the shipping container. You may need to build a bracing based on the strong points in the corners and edges of the container. That should provide enough head for pressure.
You guys really worked hard! Everything is a learning process... the things that you are learning will help you figure out more stuff in the future! So just look at all you have accomplished in the short time you have been there... thank you for letting us see the effort you exerted in your learning process! Also, I really enjoyed the longer video... really awesome!
Have you thought of hooking up some gutters from your roof to fill the tank? An hour of rain is a LOT of water and you won't have to pump it.
Great advise, I have them to my rain barrels from an old out building. Thing is, don't know where they would put them; but the high tunnel is close and gutter is cheap.
@@joeyhardin1288 Plumb the gutter into a pipe in the ground in a U fashion, outlet below the entrance and it will flow through the pipe over to the tank.
You could even put gutters on the high tunnel
We plumbed our gutters to a rain barrel system that feeds weep hoses in the garden (Missouri). We turn the weep hoses on for a night on an as-needed basis. Just have to remember to clear the hoses occasionally and keep sediment out of the rain barrels. At the end of the main growing season you have to take up the hoses and flush them for storage to avoid the effects of water freezing. Then clear the rain barrels of any sediment and turn them upside down to avoid that strange phenomenon of water freezing. It probably helps that our garden is very close to the house. We tried burying clay pots to disperse water, and that works for companion planting mounds. For rows the weep hoses work best.
I agree with many others who suggested drip irrigation in the garden! It is used a lot in desert environments and really saves water. Plus once it’s set up you just turn it on and go. Waters just the roots and very little runoff or evaporation
Thank you for sharing❤️💗
Good luck on the bird netting.
Corn, YAY....
And a holding tank for water👍
SENDING A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT OF LOVE TO SURROUND THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYONE 🤗❣️❣️🤗💞
I think my favorite things about you two is how even when things don't go as planned you just keep at it and tweak what you are doing until it does work. You never give up. Plus the fact that you still share those plans or tasks gone wrong with us. You do the trial and error for us and I am very thankful. ;) The chicken run looks amazing. Tons of cover,but also tons of shade for the chickens to keep cool this summer. I look forward to seeing how the corn does for you. I am hoping to be able to grow it when we get moved to Alaska.
Some of these suggestions seem like good ideas. I like the raised water tank idea myself.
Coil up a couple hundred feet of black pipe in the sun. Connect well pump to that and your garden hose on the other end. The sun will heat the black pipe, and your water :)
Hello again from Fairbanks! We use that same kind of tank for our water catchment system and garden watering. We use a Superior Pump 1/4HP pump and it runs our sprayers & irrigation systems quite well. (It's not auto pressure, but handles back pressure without much issue and we just turn it off when we are done watering.) One of the other problems you'll face is algae growing in the tank. Fine for veggies, but you'll want to filter your pump output to prevent sprayers from getting plugged. Plus, maybe questionable for food, your call. We cover our tank in a couple of tarps and it's still not good enough. Wish I had one of the black tanks they sell at HD, that'll be one of our eventual upgrades. Garden is looking good, we are excited to get started here too!
Sorry about the water pressure but i know you will find a solution...your plants are looking awesome...all the best, stay safe and thanks for sharing your great videos.
Yeah you pretty much have to get the tank up about roof height or a little higher. 4 posts and a platform? posts angled slightly in kind of tower style? Everything looks good, and drier. 🙂👍
What I use for a pressure tank is an old 80 gallon water heater. It doesn't have a bladder. I have added a car metal tire shraeder valve to the top of the tank. I put about 15 gallons of water in. Then using the shraeder, I add about 40 pounds of air pressure. Then I turn the water back on, and let it finish filling the tank.
If you do this, you should mostly empty the tank every spring and fall, and make sure the air pressure is correct with that shraeder valve. What happens is that without a bladder, the water slowly makes it's way into the water, and it loses pressure. They did it this way for over a century.
12v whale water pump from an RV are pressure sensitive, so when you close the tap on your hose it switches the pump off. They are pretty cheap and you have 12v power for your electric fence etc.
Like many of the suggestions, I came here to mention raising the tank to get your pressure. This is what I did up at our off-grid cabin in Wyoming, we run the generator to power the pump to fill the tank that we have lifted off 12 feet up on a set of pallet racking I got for cheap off craigs list. We also painted our tank black to aide in heating the water.
Its really great you don't sugar coat things and show off that shit happens. Let's people know that this stuff isn't always an easy ride.
Just build a little tower to put the tank up higher. Also, blocking sunlight will stop the water going mouldy as fast.
Love your “shit happens” attitude.... whatever we’ll find a use for the pipe! Perfect👍🏻😊
I second the weep hose suggestion
Best lain plans of mice and men. I hope you get all the water you need for the garden. I am glad you are not standing in 2feet of snow. Chickens look great
See folks talking drip emitters,..also in conjunction with that you might try adding a static head pressure to your tank via your compressor. Air pressure in the tank will raise your water pressure output and the emitters will conserve water usage.
Raise the tank, you get .50 psi of pressure for every foot bring it up, and a larger diameter hose would help for more volume of water coming out, also loosen the cap on the tank for air flow
Use a 12 volt bilge pump from a boat to pressure and move our water. We have a 275 gallon tank and have no problem with flow or pressure. Sprinkler, hose nozzles and all work fantastic. A small solar panel charges our battery back up and the system works flawless 3 yrs and still going. Cost for pump is about $35.00. The battery and solar about $100.00. It's more than paid for itself 100 times over. I'm sure this is a good solution to your problem. Good luck and stay safe.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful life with us. I love how you live. I love where you live too.
Very nice peppers and eggplants!
You two are seriously good at endurance! Love seeing the realistic stuff, my life always goes just like that too.
Forget the pallet people -- I've spent 12 years with a Simple 12 volt - two battery solar system -- run a 3/4 in line to a spot that is half way between the area's you water = set the 12 v pump there - reduce to 1/2 in & 1/2 in garden hose -- BINGO